jstaffon
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Re: Scratches on gel-coat surface
My thoughts and concerns, exactly!...on all the replies. Thank you! I wasn't sure about the gel coat. Didn't know if it was special and needed special care and products. One thing I forgot to mention is; When I bought the camper new, I paid for the magical sealant they put on it...or said they did. Great sales effort but probably a waste of my money. I'll start out by trying a polishing compound and microfiber cloth I've used on my cars in the past. I normally put good products on my cars so they should work fine. Again, thanks for the advice!635Views0likes0CommentsScratches on gel-coat surface
I have a 2016 Rockwood 5th wheel. It has a nice gel-coat finish. Everything is in excellent condition. The trailer is stored in a covered bay when not in use. Over the past several years, dry camping in the mountains of Idaho we've gotten a few scratches in the finish due to tree branches. You can't see the scratches when the camper is clean unless the lighting is just right. They're more obvious when the camper gets dusty. If you rub your finger or finger nail across the scratch, you can't feel them. It has to be a very light scuff on the finish of the gel-coat as apposed to an actual scratch. I'm wondering what the best solution is to remove the marks. I don't want to turn someone loose with a buffing wheel unless they know what they're doing. I've seen too many campers ruined with swirl marks all over the finish. I'm hoping there are some tricks or approved methods to getting this taken care of. Thanks in advance!2.2KViews0likes8CommentsRe: Air bags/shocks and the anticipated ride.
Groover wrote: jstaffon wrote: dockmasterdave wrote: I've had air shocks in the past and will probably be adding another set soon. They are easy to adjust pressure up or down. If the pressure is low it will ride just like before, pump the pressure up and the rear goes up and stiffens a little. Still not a horrible ride when pumped up. I don't want my backend to go up at all. With the trailer attached, the trailer and truck look like they are riding level. If I raise the backend, the trailer will ride high and shift weight to the rear axle of the trailer. Do you have control so you can provide stability with the shocks without raising the backend? If you put air in the bags they WILL raise your truck and increase your spring rate. That is what they do. And, the higher the rating of the air spring the more it increases your spring rate. So if you ever go the route of airbags don't go overboard with the biggest bags you can find. Also, you have a choice of controlling them separately or together. If you keep them separate it can be good with a high center of gravity but it will also shake you around more when only one side hits the bump at a time. For low center of gravity and offroad I like having them together. What type of suspension does your trailer have? If it is a daisy chain leaf setup it will do a pretty good job of balancing the axles within a decent range of hitch height, just be sure that the center rocker is not close to one end or the other. If you have torsion axles they are very sensitive to hitch height. My trailer has torsion axles.569Views0likes0CommentsRe: Air bags/shocks and the anticipated ride.
mich800 wrote: jstaffon wrote: Turtle n Peeps wrote: Ok, here is MHO. But, I have no idea what you mean by "movement?" Ya you're going to feel movement. You have a heavy 35' 5er in back of you. You're going to feel movement. If I were you I would start by put a set of Bilstein shocks on. Chevy OEM shocks are junk right out of the factory IMHO. Start with that and see how the ride is. If your truck is sagging then I would put a set of bags on it. Can you describe what you're feeling or what you want your truck to do better? The movement is minor. In an attempt to characterize the movement...I guess I feel tugging on the truck when going over dips in the road and some slight side to side pulling in cross-wind towing. To be honest, I may be too picky because the ride is quite comfortable. I'm trying to tweak it a bit. I thought maybe the movement I'm feeling is a result of weak shocks. You may be an individual that is in tune with the vehicle and notices things that many do not or just ignore. I am more curious of this "tugging" you feel. I feel that or something similar with various towing combinations. The closest I can describe it, is it is like the truck and trailer are being pulled apart. I think it is just a function on how the trailer axles hit and go over the bumps slightly breaking the stride of the tow vehicle. But this may be entirely different from what you are feeling. That's a pretty good description. It's probably a fact of life but I thought I would mention it.570Views0likes0CommentsRe: Air bags/shocks and the anticipated ride.
rhagfo wrote: Well you have a 11,000# 5er with a lite dry pin weight. Check your pin weight it should be in the 20% to 22% range for smoothest towing. That would put in the range of 2,200# to 2,240#, that and a set of Bilsteins all around should smooth it out. I don't see a need for air bags. The Bil's can be either 4600's or 5100's personal choice. You're pretty close. I took my setup through a CAT scale weighing process and the tung weight is 1900 lbs when the camper is fully loaded. The other thing I do...and I haven't checked the tung weight...is double pull where I pull a 2400 lb trailer and ATVs behind my 5th wheel. Most of my long pulls are only the 5th wheel.199Views0likes0CommentsRe: Air bags/shocks and the anticipated ride.
N-Trouble wrote: I have the same truck (2012) and pull a 12k lb 5er. I put Bilstein 5100 shocks on it when new and just a couple years ago added Timbrens. It towed fine before the Timbrens but is even better now. I had air bags on an older truck and liked them but didnt want to deal with install/$$ this time and gave the Timbrens a try. Install is all of 10min and it in no way affects the ride when empty. Do you recall the total price for the Bilstein and Timbrens? Just curious...ball park.199Views0likes0CommentsRe: Air bags/shocks and the anticipated ride.
Turtle n Peeps wrote: I can dump the air and it will ride exactly like it did before I put the bags on. If your truck is sagging then I would put a set of bags on it. That's what I was hoping for. ie. dumping the air and getting back to a normal ride. My truck doesn't sag....but the rake (if that's the right terminology) is gone and it looks like it's level. Do bags replace shocks or are they additional?199Views0likes0CommentsRe: Air bags/shocks and the anticipated ride.
Turtle n Peeps wrote: Ok, here is MHO. But, I have no idea what you mean by "movement?" Ya you're going to feel movement. You have a heavy 35' 5er in back of you. You're going to feel movement. If I were you I would start by put a set of Bilstein shocks on. Chevy OEM shocks are junk right out of the factory IMHO. Start with that and see how the ride is. If your truck is sagging then I would put a set of bags on it. Can you describe what you're feeling or what you want your truck to do better? The movement is minor. In an attempt to characterize the movement...I guess I feel tugging on the truck when going over dips in the road and some slight side to side pulling in cross-wind towing. To be honest, I may be too picky because the ride is quite comfortable. I'm trying to tweak it a bit. I thought maybe the movement I'm feeling is a result of weak shocks.200Views0likes0Comments
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